This project also uses all of this year's InColors, and the direct to rubber technique, in which you place different colors on different parts of the rubber using markers.  Since Stampin' Up! only sells the InColors in full sized ink pads, we'll make this project work by turning a set of blender pens into markers for each of the InColors.

 

It's a very simple thing to make your own marker from a blender pen.  Find a bottle of ink refill in the color you want to use (I'm showing Groovy Guava), and pull out one blender pen.  Here you can see the "virgin" white tip of a fresh blender pen. 

 

Remove the cap from the ink and put the tip of the pen into the opening of the ink bottle.  Gently, oh so gently!, squeeze the bottle to release one drop of ink, and let it soak into the tip.  Repeat this process two or three times, each time allowing the ink to soak in before adding the next drop.

 

This is what it will look like when you are complete.  The nice thing is that one set of blender pens allows you to make markers of all 6 of the InColors, since there are tips on both ends of each blender pen.   I made sure that I labelled each end of my pens with the name of the color, since they look similar on the pen tip.  You can also use this technique to freshen up a regular Stampin' Write Marker. 

 

You can easily tell when you need to add more ink to your pen, simply from the intensity of the color after you stamp or color with it.  At left is an example of a Purely Pomegranate pen that needed more ink.  The cap on the image on the right is a lovely shade of pink- which is not quite what I was looking for.  So I added another two drops to the pen tip, and the resulting, more intense Pomegranate color is shown on the image on the left.

 

Now for each tag!!  Almost all are done with the "direct to rubber" technique, where you use your marker to selectively color parts of the image on the rubber.  In addition to the markers, you'll need a 1/4" circle punch for each tag.  All tags (except the Snowflake) were stamped on Whisper White cardstock. 

 

The "Holly Berry" image was made using Basic Black for the outline and words, Wild Wasabi for the greens, and Purely Pomegranate on the berries.  It was mounted on Wild Wasabi cardstock, and then River Rock cardstock.  It's finished off with an 8" length of Double-Stitched Ribbon in River Rock.

 

The "Merry" tag is made using Wild Wasabi ink on most of the image, and Purely Pomegranate on the words and the "m".  If you have them, the 1/16" and 1/8" circle punches can be used as I've shown to punch out portions of the green image so the red underneath shows through.  (I tried coloring the dots with the Pomegranate, but found that they were just too close to the green portions of the image and I got lots of carryover between colors.  You might play around to see what approach you prefer.)  The image is mounted first on Pomegranate cardstock, and then on Wild Wasabi.  I cut the top corners of the Wild Wasabi so it looks like a tag, and added a 4" piece of Purely Pomegranate Double-Stitched Ribbon.

 

The "Ornament" tag uses Black on the outline and words, Wasabi and Pomegranate on the ornament, and Pomegranate on the little bow.  Mount on Wild Wasabi cardstock, and then on Purely Pomegranate, and finish with a 4" length of Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon.

 

The "Polka Dot" tag is fun, because it almost looks like a litte present all by itself.  You really have to ink up the stamp well in order to get a nice, uniform, intensely red image.  One thing to try if you are having trouble is to take a small piece of fine sand paper and gently sand the rubber.  This removes any remaining coating from the manufacturing process.  If that still doesn't give a satisfactory image, and you have the Purely Pomegranate ink pad, you can use both the marker and the ink pad to apply ink from two different surfaces.  This is the method that I ended up using.  Wrap an 11" piece of Pomegranate Double-Stitched Ribbon around a 3-1/8 X 2-3/8" piece of Wild Wasabi cardstock and tie a Granny Knot.   This makes the ends lay at right angles to the rest of the riboon.  (This is one of the few times I'll tell you to do that!!)  (PS The Granny Knot is basically tying "right over left, and under" twice.)  Cut out the image without any white border, and mount it about 1/4" from the bottom of the green.

 

The "Snowflake" tag is one of the two that does not require the direct to rubber technique.  Instead, use the White Craft Ink on Soft Sky cardstock.  I also embossed with White Stampin' Emboss powder, but you don't absolutely need to do this as long as you heat set the white ink.  Another variation is to use your Soft Sky marker on the Soft Sky cardstock.  Mount on a piece of Blue Bayou cardstock, and then on Whisper White.  Finish with an 8" length of Soft Sky Double-Stitched Ribbon.

 

And here is the "Snowmen" tag again.  Super simple:  stamp using the Basic Black marker to color the entire image.  Then just color in their hats and scarves.  Mount on a piece of Blue Bayou and then on Soft Sky. Use an 8" piece of Blue Bayou Double-Stitched ribbon to complete this tag.  You could get more elaborate and use the watercolor technique with Soft Sky to color the background.  But only if you wanted to.  (LOL)

 

 

And to round things out, the "Tree" tag.  Also super simple:  Black on the outlines and words, and Wild Wasabi on the tree.  Mount on Wild Wasabi and then a larger piece of Purely Pomegranate.  Tie a knot in hole using a 4" length of Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon.

 

And there you go!  Seven styles of tags to use on all of those special gifts.  And once you get started, you'll come up with your own variations, to be sure.

 

 

       

 

    

 

Cost:  $23.95 (tax added at check-out)